Don't judge a book by the clothes it wears.

Ok so the quotes a little off. All my life I have been judged by looks. I was lucky enough to find something I loved to do (and was good at) at a very young age. I graduated from a University when I was just shy of 21. I can't claim any special intelligence, it was just based on hard work, going to school all year round, taking overload classes (usually 20+ credit hours), and a little luck with my scheduling. As a result, I was younger than most when I graduated from college.

Looking young is both a treasure and a curse. In the beginning, no one takes you seriously (think Doogie Howser without the heavy facial hair). Past the age of 35 it is a real blessing (think Dick Clark under 200). The biggest challenge was being taken seriously. After a few years in the business I volunteered to help new people on sales calls. It never failed, we would go on sales calls and the customers always thought I was the one being trained. They would direct all the questions to the "senior" rep, who would usually turn to me for the answers. I did not mind (I always thought it was funny, especially when the customer finally realized I was the trainer, not the trainee). Another sure thing was them saying "do you mind if I ask you your age?" I learned a great line from my dad, I would lean in and say "can you keep a secret". They always said yes, to which i would reply "so can I". If they pressed the issue, I would say, "well I graduated from college 4 years ago, you can do the math". It gave me an extra year or two in most minds.

When I got married a lot of the questions stopped. Something about a wedding ring changes how old you look (that or being married ages you quickly). People still judged me by my looks but in different situations. My wife and I decided to buy a boat (OK I decided and she went along, I told you she was perfect!). I went to the boat dealer on the weekend (No sense costing myself money when I was going to spend a chunk of it) Because it was the weekend I was dressed casually (jeans and a polo). I wandered around the showroom waiting for a sales person to approach me. You guessed it, they all went after the older people (the serious buyers). I finally got tired of waiting and approached a guy doing paperwork at a desk. I asked if we could talk about the boat I knew I was going to buy. He looked me up and down, looked back at his paperwork and said "I'll be with you in a minute". The younger me did not like being underestimated, so I went to another salesman just standing around and loudly said "you and I are going to argue about the price, but I'm leaving today with that boat" pointing at the one I wanted. He was only too happy to help me. Of course the first rep jumped to his feet and said " hey I was going to help you". "Too late" I replied.

Another time I went to the Gucci store in Somerset Mall (again in my jeans and a polo...maybe that was the problem) and saw a purse I knew was perfect for my mom. I approached a sales person and said "can I see that purse on the top row". She looked me over and haughtily said "it's very expensive". You know of course what I did..I bought the purse from another person (and if there is a God they worked on commission). There were many other examples, and I'm certain i am not the only person who has been underestimated by others.

History is chock full of people who were underestimated. Albert Einstein, as everyone knows, worked as a patent clerk because he could not get a teaching post. Napoleon was underestimated because of his stature. Michael Jordan was cut from the High School varsity team as a sophomore. No one gave Barack Obama a chance against the Clinton machine. Mahatma Gandhi expected the British to walk out of India (I would love to have taken the odds on that action....100 million to 1 maybe?). No one gave Spud Webb a shot at the slam dunk title. I guess those of us who have been underestimated are in great company.

At 48 I am no longer underestimated due to my age, people frequently ask if my wife is my daughter (not the age, its the mileage). Now I am underestimated for a much different reason. I am wheelchair bound. I was in my wheelchair, and a puddle did something to the motor. The wheelchair was barely moving. I needed someone to help me out by pushing the reset button in the back (out of my reach). I approached a guy in a nearby gas station. I said "hey buddy, can you help with something?" His response was "sorry, I don't have any change!" My brain was working quickly that day so I shot back "Too bad", "I can give you a few bucks if you will push the reset button on my wheelchair for me." He blushed a bit and apologized for thinking I was a bum (ooops there goes my political incorrectness again, I mean a panhandler....Naaahhh a bum)

Don't judge a book by it's cover. Don't judge a person by their age or stature, their formal education or lack of it, and a hundred other things that cause us to make snap judgments.

Once again, just my opinion, one shared by Einstein, Napoleon, Obama, Gandhi, Jordan, and the hundreds of thousands of us who were or are underestimated.